Drug user who was shot by police in Kakaako gets 10-year prison term

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - An admitted drug user who was shot by police during a getaway attempt in Kakaako two years ago was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday.

Police were talking to Gerald Galon while he was in a Honda Civic on Cooke Street on November 22, 2009, when he started to drive off. An officer reached into the car in an effort to grab the keys, while another officer opened fire.

Police later located the bullet-ridden Civic in Palama. Galon, who suffered a gunshot wound to the hip, checked himself in at Kapiolani Medical Center at Pali Momi and was arrested.

Under a deal with prosecutors, the defendant pleaded guilty to having a stolen identification card and two drug offenses. In exchange, prosecutors dropped three charges -- first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, second-degree assault, and a firearms offense.

Galon also pleaded guilty in an unrelated drug case, as well as an unrelated assault case. On Monday, prosecutors asked for a combination of concurrent and consecutive prison terms totaling 15 years.

But Circuit Judge Richard Pollack granted the defense's request for a 10-year sentence covering all three criminal cases, calling it "sufficient under the circumstances."

When we asked Governor David Ige if he could beat Colleen Hanabusa in a potential match-up in 2018, he didn't hesitate with this response. "Certainly. I believe that I will be successful for any of those candidates that are considering it," he said. While Ige says he's sure he could win reelection in 2018, he says he doesn't know why powerful democratic forces are looking to defeat him with a candidate like Hanabusa in the primary election next August. "I don't know....

When we asked Governor David Ige if he could beat Colleen Hanabusa in a potential match-up in 2018, he didn't hesitate with this response. "Certainly. I believe that I will be successful for any of those candidates that are considering it," he said. While Ige says he's sure he could win reelection in 2018, he says he doesn't know why powerful democratic forces are looking to defeat him with a candidate like Hanabusa in the primary election next August. "I don't know....